SGA erupts late in Game 4: 'Didn't want to go out not swinging'

The Oklahoma City Thunder put faith in their MVP with Game 4 on the brink, and he delivered.

OKC trailed Friday's contest 97-95 with five minutes remaining before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went nuclear, scoring 15 of his game-high 35 points in the final 4:38 to help the Thunder eke out a 111-104 victory and tie the series at two wins apiece.

"I knew what it would have looked like if we lost tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "I didn't want to go out not swinging. I didn't want to go out not doing everything I could do in my power, in my control, to try to win the game."

The Kentucky product outscored the entire Pacers team by eight in the final five minutes.

Gilgeous-Alexander also recorded three rebounds, three steals, and a block in the win.

Head coach Mark Daigneault lauded Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to turn it on when his team needs it most, saying: "For him to be able to flip the switch like that and get the rhythm he got just speaks to how great of a player he is."

Teammate Chet Holmgren was equally impressed but not entirely shocked by Gilgeous-Alexander's performance.

"I didn't know that, but that's crazy," Holmgren said after learning Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of Oklahoma's final 16 points. "That's impressive. You know, we've seen it before from him. We know that's the type of player he is, but it's still impressive."

The last player to score 15 points and go 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter of an NBA Finals contest was Michael Jordan in his series-clinching Game 6 victory in 1998.

"That's what it's all about," Gilgeous-Alexander said, according to MacMahon. "Winning, especially this time of the season, it comes down to the moments. It's going to come down to late game. Every team is good. There's rarely a blowout. It comes down to the moments and who is willing to make winning plays on both ends of the floor.

"I relish those moments, love the moments, good or bad."

The series returns to Oklahoma, with Game 5 scheduled for Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.